TEL AVIV – Pressure within Hamas’ military wing to restore strategic relations with Iran is mounting in the wake of Israel’s reconciliation pact with Turkey, a top Hamas source told Breitbart Jerusalem.
Although Hamas congratulated Turkey for its efforts to alleviate Israel’s defensive siege on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, the movement came to realize that it would lead to no major changes on the ground, the source said.
Only restoring strategic ties with Iran, the source said, will allow Hamas to rearm and replenish its coffers. This view is shared by the Gaza leadership of Hamas, who are less exposed to pressure from other Arab countries that has led the leadership abroad to continually turn down Iranian overtures, the source added.
“The external leadership will struggle to last very long, because Arab pressure is not backed up with cash,” he said. “And in any event, the Arab countries back Egypt’s efforts to restore Palestinian Authority control over Gaza.”
“The Turks are very proud that large amounts of humanitarian aid enter the Strip, but that’s an internal Turkish issue because that happens already on a daily basis,” he said.
What we need is a fundamental change that would guarantee rebuilding and alleviate people’s feeling of imprisonment, and these two things aren’t included in the deal. There’s no road map to rebuilding Gaza, and no mention of maritime passage or a seaport. If the proponents of the deal fail to back it up by a massive cash influx, the opponents will get the upper hand and push for closer ties with Iran – including the far-reaching domestic, diplomatic, and regional ramifications they may bear, especially setting Hamas on a collision course with Israel.
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